An authoritarian regime explains the violence it inflicts on its people with propaganda aimed at making those same people just enough less human so as to justify their destruction.

An authoritarian regime explains the violence it inflicts on its people with propaganda aimed at making those same people just enough less human so as to justify their destruction.

From Jim Crow to MAGA, state-sanctioned terror is always justified by state-sponsored propaganda.

If you are waiting for the white church to betray the power-hungry status quo which birthed it and to which it remains bound, you’re going to be waiting for a very, very long time.

If you are waiting for the white church to betray the power-hungry status quo which birthed it and to which it remains bound, you’re going to be waiting for a very, very long time.

I was glad to join these friends for a conversation about responding in the non-violent way of Jesus to our government's campaigns of hate and terror. gravitycommons.com/podcast/davi...

To defend the societal domination in which it was birthed and to which it remains bound, white churches have always been quick to abandon moral obligations for legal technicalities. It'd be foolish to expect anything different today.

Chicago, in case you're wondering, yes, it's quite cold today.

Hey preachers, what's the passage and big idea for your sermon tomorrow? We're back in our series from Revelation, chapter four: "Worship translates reality."

The federal government’s mass deportation campaign is aimed at strengthening white supremacy through campaigns of ethnic cleansing. It's awful to say, but how else can we honestly describe what's playing out before our eyes?

"I’m angry that the cross of Jesus Christ has been co-opted by those who would return us to the era of the lynching tree." My lament from Sunday's sermon. Podcast here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...

From the conclusion of today's sermon from 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4, "Growing in Faith."

Chicago pastors quickly rewriting sermon conclusions this morning: "Some might say he is GOOD. Some might say he is BETTER. But do I have any witnesses this morning that God is the BEST?!!!

"One straightforward thing you and I can do to push against becoming overwhelmed by the barrage of lies and bullying is to simply accept what we are living through." buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

In 2026 we can stop arguing with people about whether we're living through the rise of authoritarianism and start collaborating with people who know we are.

In 2026 we can stop arguing with people about whether we're living through the rise of authoritarianism and start collaborating with people who know we are.

I've been searching for words since waking up to news of my home country's lethal attack against the country of my childhood. I think I found them. christiansforsocialaction.org/resource/cle...

I've been searching for words since waking up to news of my home country's lethal attack against the country of my childhood. I think I found them. christiansforsocialaction.org/resource/cle...

You don't get to defend insurrection and then expect us to believe your legal justifications for blowing up boats in the Caribbean, attacking other countries, and detaining citizens without due process.

Can the illegal and immoral actions of our hypocritical president be an answer to persistent, fervent prayer? Countless Venezuelan Christians are prone to think so and the rest of us might consider taking their hard-earned perspective into account as we offer our own opinions.

The stack I'm starting the new year with. How about you? What are you reading as 2026 begins?

Hey preachers, what's the passage and big idea for your first Sunday sermon of 2026? I'll be in Matthew 1:18-25, "We confess that Jesus is Savior by faith."

Happy new year from me and these cinnamon rolls our family just devoured.

“Until I entered the sanctuary of God...” A year-end reflection from Psalms ‭73‬.

Guys, did you know it snows in Michigan?

Five inches last night. A bunch more today. 55 mph winds. I guess we live in Michigan now.

This morning I began reading one of my Christmas gifts, the story of "one of the nation's most important African American churches," and this sentence stopped me cold...

Do yourself a favor and memorize something beautiful in 2026. Even better: make it something exceptionally beautiful, maybe even so beautiful that despite its apparent uselessness countless generations have received it as a heritage and shared it with those they love.

What book did you read this year that you're most likely to recommend to the rest of us? Here's what I read in 2025: dwswanson.com/reading-in-2...

On the second day of Christmas we braved a bit of freezing rain to enjoy the winter beauty of northern Michigan.

"Those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined." buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

It's become a Christmas Eve tradition for our congregation to join to other churches for a candlelight service. Our three communities would love to welcome you to worship with us if you don't have a church in Chicago this evening. I'll preach from Isaiah 9:2-7, "Salvation in the Shadows."

It's Giving Tuesday! Would you consider a donation to our church's nonprofit organization (newcommunityoutreach.org) as we create restorative spaces for healing, reconciliation and flourishing in our community? Give here: tinyurl.com/NCOGivingTue...

Let it snow!

Looking for the perfect gift? We have a limited # of deeply discounted tickets to the Communities of Flourishing Conference. Join us as we move from critique to action! @skyejethani.bsky.social @malcolmbfoley.bsky.social @davidwswanson.bsky.social @fullerseminary.bsky.social @erbks.bsky.social

Our contributions to the table this year. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

How about it? We can stay away from these three authoritarian-adjacent corporations for a few days, right? We can invest our dollars in local Black and Brown businesses, right? Learn more here: weaintbuyingit.com

"Here we are, daring to say that even in a bruised and burdened world, God has not ceased to be faithful. Here we are, daring to believe that giving thanks is not naïve optimism but a persistent practice by which we remember who God is." - @richtywil.bsky.social substack.com/home/post/p-...

"Of these 5,373 [detained by ICE since the government shutdown], there was a net increase of 5,209 more individuals with no criminal history – some 97 percent of the total net increase. Only 3 percent had a criminal conviction even including minor traffic offenses." tracreports.org/reports/767/

"When Christians here in Chicago protest the government’s cruel deportation campaign, whether gathering for a prayer vigil or wading through tear gas-choked streets, we are looking for Jesus." buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

Preachers, what's the passage of Scripture and main point of your sermon this week? I'll be in Revelation 3:14-22, "We refuse the deceptions of wealth by trusting Jesus."

"It was a triumph of men who in their effort to replace equality with caste and to build inordinate wealth on a foundation of abject poverty have succeeded in killing democracy." - W.E.B. Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America (1935)

On state-sanctioned violence justified by state-sponsored lies.

"It was a triumph of men who in their effort to replace equality with caste and to build inordinate wealth on a foundation of abject poverty have succeeded in killing democracy." - W.E.B. Du Bois, Black Reconstruction in America (1935)

Friends in the western suburbs, I'd love to see you this Wednesday evening at Wheaton College. (Contrary to the flier, I'm not a Dr. but I'll still do my best to make it interesting.)

While our circumstances will shape the tenor and content of our dissent, they don’t have the power to shut our protest down. buttondown.com/david.w.swan...

A autumn morning walk through Jackson Park.

As Chicago suffers state-sanctioned terror, the Christians who once were so vocal have become strangely silent.

Heartbreaking to watch the state police again refuse entry by clergy to those held at Broadview. Denying pastoral care is another example of the cruelty inflicted on our neighbors. Even so, it was encouraging to be joined by colleagues for the interfaith prayer service.